There are known many methods and devices for oxygen enrichment of the soil. These methods and devices provide increasing of the amount of the atmospheric air or pure oxygen in the sub-surface soil.
The atmospheric air in the soil profile removes accumulated unwanted gases, and provides more oxygen than otherwise would tend to be present.
It is known that the air in the soil profile will change moisture content and temperature. It is understood that it is important to additionally control gas constituents in the subsoil, such as the amounts of oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane and hydrogen sulfide. It is found that when the atmospheric air/oxygen is presented at the rootzone in the soil, there is enhanced root system development, better growth, better resistance to disease, etc.
It is also known that here is much commercial interest in promoting good vegetation growth. It is very important to obtain optimal growing conditions in the root are. It is known and well recognized that plant's life depends upon the character of the soil surrounding the roots. It has become increasingly recognized that it is advantageous to provide a soil with appropriate aeration.
Provision of air has been sought by various means. In one simple widely used procedure, small (one-half inch diameter) holes are created in the surface of the field, by drilling or punching with a machine.
While simple, this process is relatively inefficient since air enhancement takes place until the natural closing of the drilled holes under the natural atmospheric forces, etc.
This is typically accomplished by a mechanical system involving air moving machinery connected to an array of sub-surface pipes installed as an adjunct to a permeable layer of the soil profile.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,759 to Benson describes a ventilating system wherein an air pressure is applied to the piping system, to thereby affect the conditions in the layered soil and turf. However, results obtained will vary according to the morphology (structure) of the soil. In practice, air has been periodically injected in the sub-surface piping system according to the subjective judgment of the user of the system.
Since there has been no particular efficient mechanism or systematic way for air/oxygen enrichment of the soil in the root areas, such tendency heretofore has not found wide application in the agriculture and/or gardening. Another drawback is a significantly expensive induction mechanical system(s) of the enforceable enrichment of the soil.
The similar principle has been used in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,909, where is the air injecting apparatus creates the pressure differential in the soil. The numerous pipes are installed horizontally underground beneath the vegetation's roots surface through the soil.
Additionally to the noticed drawback hereinabove regarding significantly expensive equipment, the pressure method(s) provide an oxygen in excess to atmosphere by connecting an oxygen source to the air pressure supply, but as it is known, any excess oxygen does not necessarily speeds the process.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,240, provides the wick drains used alone or in combination with the porous or slotted pipes depending on the type of treatment to be applied to the particular area and particular soil conditions. The tubing or pipes is used in soil to enhance the air for desired sub-surface condition.
The drains may be used to deliver the oxygen. The wick drains are installed at a close spacing configuration. The existing track excavators are used to install the wick drains. The method also employs the tubes and pipes of porous configuration to inject or pump an oxygen. This method has the same deficiencies, as the methods and apparatus/devices described hereinabove.
The multi-pipes traces are also used in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,120,158 and 5,542,208.
Regarding U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,158, a pipe arrangement includes a surface layer and a filter layer beneath the surface layer. In the filter layer, there is situated an arrangement of pipes, divided into several sections. In each section, there are numerous pipes to circulate warm air into it. These pipes are connected at intervals by their ends to a distribution pipe and these in their turn at intervals by their ends to a main pipe, which is finally connected to blowing machinery by means of a feed pipe. The main pipes are located on the long side of the field and they are connected at regular intervals to distribution pipes, which extend from the side of the field from main pipe to essentially the center of the field. All the distribution pipes of the same main pipe are connected to multi-purpose pipes, which run in the same direction as the main pipe.
The soil area (field) is divided into four separate pipe network sectors. A blower apparatus, in which there are also heating cells to warm the air to be blown, is located at the side of the field. A feed pipe is communicated from blower to the main pipe of the pipe network sections. Main pipes have valves on each by means of which it is possible to blow air or cut off the air blowing to each section separately.
According to the description of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,208, the mobile unit comprises a blower connected into a duct network beneath a use site/field to induce a flow of air upwardly through the soil and subsoil of the use site. The blower is equipped with a four-way reversing valve so that the flow of air moving through the duct network can be reversed to pull air downwardly through the soil profile during certain climatic periods. The four-way flow reversing valve contains four control valves mounted in a bridge configuration. The discharge side of the blower is connected to the unit by line. One pair of the bridge legs is connected to the supply line while the opposite pair of legs is attached to an air line that communicates with the surrounding ambient. The exit to the bridge between legs is connected to the inlet side of blower by means of return line. When one pair of valves is closed and the other pair of valves is opened, ambient air is delivered to the inlet side of the blower and is pumped into the duct network. The air is passed through the lines of the duct network and uniformly distributed. The blower delivers low pressure air at a high enough volume such that the air is pushed upwardly through the soil and subsoil into the surrounding ambient. Air moving upwardly through the green is used to aerate the soil.
The apparatus/unit by these two patents include the expensive equipment, and the pressure (“blowing”) method(s) can provide an oxygen in excess to atmosphere by connecting an oxygen source to the air blowing machinery.
Thus, the known devices are expensive, and in order to provide the soil oxygen enrichment include an expensive mechanical blowing/pumping means coupled to the underground traced expensive pipes' system.
The mentioned hereinabove methods and devices do not loosen the soil for natural enhance of oxygen in the sub-surface area near the plant's root at the rootzone.
Therefore, the mentioned known methods and devices have the described above deficiencies which are eliminated in the improved device for oxygen enrichment of a soil.
Considering that most plants always require the enhancement of the oxygen concentration in the soil's rootzone, the atmospheric air, delivered by the improved device, into the loosened (by the improved device) sub-surface soil area at the rootzone will provide the faster growth of the plants/vegetations.
Also, it is more effective to delivery the atmospheric air into the loosened soil.
Additionally, the improved device provides the better condition (e.g., the loosened soil) of the sub-surface soil for the plant's root development.
While the mentioned above prior art fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the mentioned prior art inventions do not disclose, teach and/or suggest the device for oxygen enrichment of a soil including the means for loosening of the sub-surface soil at the rootzone of the vegetations.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and advantages of the improved device for oxygen enrichment of a soil may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.
Thus, the known prior art do not provide the efficient, not expensive, and convenient device for oxygen enrichment of a soil according to the present invention substantially departs from the devices of the prior art.